Nashik: Smart City blueprint reaches chief secretary

NMC was among 10 municipal corporations that presented their plans. The civic body had earlier sent an online power point presentation to the state government on December 5Tushar Pawar | TNN | December 14, 2015, 11:00 IST

NASHIK: The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Friday gave a presentation on the proposed smart city plan before state chief secretary Swadhin Kshatriya in Nagpur.

NMC was among 10 municipal corporations that presented their plans. The civic body had earlier sent an online power point presentation to the state government on December 5. Not having received the general body meeting's resolution, NMC could not submit its plan to the chief secretaryThe NMC gave presentation only, but could not submit its smart city plan to the CS due to lack of receipt of the resolution of civic body. The deadline to submit the plan is December 15 whereas the civic body is expected to submit its plan in a couple of days.

Speaking to TOI, municipal commissioner Praveen Gedam said, "The presentation on the Smart City plan of the municipal corporation was given before the CS in Nagpur on Friday. We could not submit the plan to the state govt on Friday due to lack of the receipt of the copy of the resolution of the civic body. The deadline for submitting the smart city plan to the state government is December 15."

The smart city plans of all 10 cities from the state in Maharashtra are to be presented by the state government to the central government by December 15. The names of cities selected under the smart city project will be are to be announced by the central government by January-end.

Meanwhile, the city mayor Ashok Murtadak on Friday evening sent a copy of the resolution pertaining to the decision of the general body meeting (GBM) about the smart city plan. The GBM has rejected permission for the proposed hike in property taxes and setting up the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). As per norms, hike in property tax and establishment of SPV is mandatory for the smart city project. The resolution includes the permission to the smart city, except tax hike and SPV.

During the GBM on December 2, all-party corporators had opposed the hike in property taxes and establishment of SPV. They had advised the civic administration to focus on cent per cent recovery of property and water taxes instead of making tax hike.

Speaking with TOI, the city mayor Ashok Murtadak said, "We have sent a copy of GBM's resolution pertaining to the smart city plan to the civic administration. We have granted permission to the smart city, excluding two points i.e proposed hike in property tax and setting up SPV. We are against the SPV as it will affect the rights of the civic body."